Hope is Where Forever Begins
by chocolatequeen
Summary: It's the first day of their honeymoon, and the Doctor has taken Rose to the planet Esperas to enjoy their harvest festival. With the leaves crunching beneath their feet and the cool temperatures encouraging them cuddle, it's the perfect romantic destination. Part four of the Being to Timelessness 'verse, but can be enjoyed on its own.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** I'm posting this separately rather than as a Timeless Outtake for a few reasons. First, it's for the Fall Fic Fest, and I didn't want to bury it in that story. Secondly, there will be at least two chapters, possibly three if I decide to put the scene where they meet Sarah Jane and everyone in this story. The outtakes have all been one-shots.

 _In between these little digressions, they honeymooned across the stars, checking off over a hundred places in the intergalactic edition of 1000 Places to See Before You Die. They didn't stay completely out of trouble, but the adventures were generally fun and easily wrapped up. Whether that was the TARDIS obliging by not taking them to dangerous points in time, or the Doctor arranging it himself, Rose wasn't completely sure, but either way, she enjoyed it._

 _~Time is Still A-Flying, chapter 7_

The feeling of Rose's mind resting against his pulled the Doctor from his sleep. He blinked a few times, then looked down at her, curled up beside him. His _bond mate_ , the telepathic tug reminded him.

Excitement overpowered the typical contentment he felt when he woke up next to Rose. This was the first day of their honeymoon, and he had _plans_.

Rose mumbled something in her sleep, and the Doctor realised belatedly that his excitement had been enough to wake her up. _Sorry, love,_ he told her as he brushed a kiss over her temple.

Her eyes fluttered open, and the soft happiness they held made the Doctor's hearts clench. "S'all right," she said, then yawned. "You wore me out a bit last night though, Doctor."

He smirked at her. "Wedding night, Rose Tyler," he said smugly.

"Hmmm, was it?" she asked, combing her fingers through his chest hair.

The Doctor shivered at her touch, and it was tempting to just stay in bed. Then he remembered the harvest festival on Esperas, and he stilled her hands.

"Yes, it was, my blushing bride, and that makes today the first day of our honeymoon."

Finally, his own excitement transferred to Rose. Her eyes widened and she hopped out of bed faster than he'd ever seen, giving him just a fleeting glimpse of her naked body as she darted into the bathroom to shower and dress.

 _Go make us breakfast,_ she suggested as the water started.

The Doctor considered it for a brief moment, he really did. Then he walked into the bathroom instead and climbed into the shower with Rose.

"Doctor!" she squealed in surprise.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "I think it makes more sense for us to shower together today," he told her as he nuzzled into her neck, thankful for his ship's unending supply of hot water.

oOoOoOoOo

Later, when they were dressed and ready to go, the Doctor cajoled Rose into following him to the console room instead of diverting to the galley. "I promise, we'll have breakfast as soon as get there," he told her.

Rose poked him in the chest. "We'd better, because I'm famished."

He grabbed her hand and kissed her finger tip. Then he rested his hand on the navigation controls and silently pleaded with the TARDIS to take them where he asked this time.

Rose giggled as he threw the dematerialisation lever. "Did you just ask her to listen to you for once?" She ran a hand along the railing as the TARDIS engines wheezed to life.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the central time rotor. "I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask," he muttered. "Much as I love to run with you, Rose Tyler, today I'd rather take a romantic stroll."

The TARDIS landed, and he looked at the navigation panel carefully, not moving until he was positive they were where he wanted to be. Then he smiled brightly at Rose as he swung his coat around his shoulders, and opened the door for her.

"Our honeymoon awaits."

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS first. "Where are we, Doctor?" she asked while she waited for the Doctor to follow her and close the door behind them. "It smells like…" She took a deeper breath of the crisp air, catching notes of fresh apples and wood smoke. "It smells like autumn, wherever we are." She glanced around at where they'd parked, on the edge of a clearing. The woods behind the ship were painted rich shades of red and gold. "Looks like it, too."

The Doctor took her hand and squeezed. "Brilliant as always, Rose. We're on Esperas just in time for the Rikolto festival."

Rose could hear laughter and music in the distance, and she wasn't surprised when the Doctor led them towards the sound. "All right, tell me about Esperas," she said, swinging their hands between them while they walked, fallen leaves crunching beneath their feet.

"Esperas. One of the first planets colonised during the First Great and Bountiful Human Empire. Only it wasn't so great and bountiful at the time." The Doctor looked over at Rose. "Only a hundred years or so after your time, Rose, the state of the Earth becomes so dire that it drives humans to the stars, looking for a new home."

"What, like it all those films?"

The Doctor nodded. "You eventually learn some things and come back to clean up the old home, but there's a period of several hundred years when anyone who can leave, does. And many of them come here. Esperas is Earth-like enough to feel like home—or a better version of home, one where you can see the actual blue sky, instead of a layer of pollution."

Rose looked up at the sky, which seemed to be a slightly different shade of blue than the Earth sky, but it was close enough to feel familiar.

"The sky actually does look like this in some places on Earth," the Doctor said. "The great plains in America, for instance. There are fewer particulates in the air to increase the Rayleigh scattering, so the sky is often a darker blue."

A mixture of surprise and confusion shot through Rose and she stopped walking. "Doctor," she said slowly when he turned to look at her, "how did you know exactly what I was thinking?"

He dropped her hand and shoved his into his pockets. "I told you," he reminded her. "Open books, remember?"

That phrase did sound familiar, and Rose pressed her tongue to the back of her teeth as she tried to remember what, exactly, he'd said. It was months ago, when he'd first told her about bonding…

Her eyes widened. "You mean we'll be able to pick up on what the other is thinking now, without even trying?"

The Doctor sniffed and looked away from her. "Not necessarily without trying. It takes a little effort to pay attention to what's in your mind." He looked back at Rose. "I did tell you," he repeated.

Rose winced when she felt the quiet hurt she could hear in his voice. "I'm not upset." To prove it, she stepped closer and cupped his jaw, since that was the most accessible bit of bare skin at the moment. "See?" She focused on her momentary confusion and dawning realisation.

He took his hands out of his pockets and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I guess I didn't really explain what I meant when I said we'd be open books," he admitted.

"Not really." Rose pushed up on her toes and brushed a kiss over his lips, then stepped back and laced her fingers through his. "You'll have to tell me more later, and teach me how to do it," she said as they started walking again. "But right now, I want to hear more about those first humans who came to Esperas, and about this Ricola festival."

The Doctor chuckled and cast his Rose a sidelong look. She'd mispronounced the word on purpose, to make him laugh. _I love you,_ he told her, earning a tongue-touched smile in response.

"The _Rikolto_ festival is the most renowned harvest festival in this sector of the galaxy. People come from several systems over to enjoy the celebration and all the pomo deserts."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "Pomo?"

"The native variety of apple. And that's why we didn't have breakfast before leaving the TARDIS, by the way—can you smell the streusel?"

"Mmm, think I can, yeah."

They'd reached the edge of the festival grounds by now, and the Doctor reached into his pocket for the Esperasan money he'd collected. The gate attendant took the nominal entrance fee with a cheery smile and offered them a map.

"The archery contest will be here at 1:00," she said, marking a spot with an x. "There's a cider press demonstration in the barn at 11:00, and an interactive canning class in the open kitchen at 2:00."

"I'm craving some of that streusel I smell," Rose said. "Someone didn't feed me breakfast this morning."

The young woman laughed. "The food booths are all along here," she said, circling an area on the map.

"Ta!" Rose folded the map up and put it in her pocket, then grabbed the Doctor's hand and dragged him towards the food booths.

As they got closer, the homey scent of apples and cinnamon filled the air. Rose's stomach growled when she caught sight of someone else's apple tart, and the Doctor laughed.

"Why don't you find us a seat," he suggested, pointing to the long, wooden tables. "I'll get breakfast."

Rose chose a seat closest to the main part of the festival grounds, where she could watch the people as they walked by. Most of them seemed human, but some definitely were not. A new question grew in the back of her mind as she looked out at the crowd, and around at the pristine field and the brilliant blue sky.

The question was deferred for the moment when the Doctor returned with a tray bearing two streusels covered with custard sauce and two steaming mugs. "Here we are!" he chirped when he sat down beside her.

Rose eyed the drink that was definitely not tea. Like everything else on Esperas right now, it was obviously autumnal—the cinnamon sprinkled on the whipped cream would have made that clear, if the earthy, spicy aroma had not.

The Doctor was clearly eager for her to try whatever it was, so she picked the mug up and took a hesitant sip. "It's… pumpkin coffee?" she guessed after analysing the flavours.

"Yep! Something that coffee chains started in your time. And here we are, on Esperas in the 25th century, drinking the local equivalent of the pumpkin spice latte."

Rose nodded. She never would have put the flavours together herself, but somehow the slightly nutty taste of the coffee balanced out the pumpkin. Sweetened and enhanced by cinnamon and spices, it tasted like autumn in a cup.

"It's good. I like it."

The corners of the Doctor's eyes crinkled up, and he took a big gulp of his own drink. Rose giggled when he put the mug down, and reached out to wipe the whipped cream off his upper lip. "Gave yourself a moustache," she murmured, then licked her thumb clean.

Warmth and happiness pulsed in both directions over the bond. The Doctor's brown eyes darkened to the colour of rich chocolate, and Rose leaned towards him, sighing when he bent his head to kiss her.

Just like autumn on Esperas seemed richer and more vibrant than autumn at home, the new marriage bond she shared with the Doctor was obviously a deeper connection than the provisional bond had been. In her limited experience, that bond had felt extremely intimate, certainly more than a standard Earth relationship. But this…

She sucked in a breath when the Doctor caressed the bond. _That's right, love. Nothing compares to a marriage bond. Ah, my Rose._

 _My Doctor,_ she replied, reaching deeper for more of him. _Forever my Doctor._

Rose's stomach growled again, and they broke the kiss, giggling. "We keep forgetting that we're here to eat breakfast," the Doctor said.

"I think it's you that keeps forgetting, Doctor," Rose teased. She cut into her streusel and took a bite, sighing in pleasure when the warm, autumn flavours of apple and spice burst on her tongue. "Definitely worth waiting for," she agreed.

"Excellent! Now, eat quickly, because breakfast is only the first thing on the list for today. This week, Rose, you're going to experience autumn as you never have before."


	2. Chapter 2

The sweet spiciness of the streusel and pumpkin spice latte still lingered on Rose's tongue when she and the Doctor began exploring the Rikolto festivities. She didn't know what to expect—bobbing for apples, maybe? That seemed to be a harvest party staple.

She did not expect a leaf-jumping station, but beneath a stand of ancient trees, two bored-looking teens were kept constantly busy raking leaves into piles for kids to jump into. The Doctor shrugged out of his coat as soon as he saw it and took a flying leap before either of the attendants realised what was about to happen.

When the leaves scattered in the air, Rose doubled over laughing at the dumbfounded expressions on their faces. The Doctor grabbed a handful of leaves and threw them up into the air, then rubbed his hands furiously at his hair to get the leaves and sticks out of it.

"Have fun?" Rose asked when she handed his coat back.

"Oh, yes!"

In a huge barn that smelled like apples, they watched the cider press demonstration. Rose looked at the cloudy apple juice dubiously, but she accepted the glass the Doctor bought for her when the demonstration was over. It only took one sip of the tangy juice for her to agree to buy a jug before they left Esperas.

The pumpkin patch called to them after that, and Rose laughed as the Doctor dragged her from one giant squash to another, each time claiming that _this_ was the one they should pick. When he finally settled on one almost two feet in diameter, he whispered to Rose that it was the largest pumpkin he'd seen since the Troxian Squash Engorgement Episode of 5024. Rose wasn't sure she wanted any more details.

She was looking for something more than size in her selection. A good carving pumpkin had a relatively flat side, and Rose rejected several that were simply too round.

"How can a pumpkin be too round, Rose?" the Doctor asked as she stepped carefully over a vine.

"The rounder it is, the harder it is to carve," she explained.

Finally, she found one that she deemed worthy, and the Doctor loaded it onto the anti-grav cart alongside his own. The cart was one of the few reminders that they were in the future, but it was so convenient, Rose didn't mind the way it didn't quite fit with everything else about the Rikolto festival.

"Well, what are we going to do with our pumpkins?" she asked after they'd paid for them, and for a set of carving tools on display by the register.

The pumpkin patch attendant answered before the Doctor could. "We usually send them to the front gate for you to pick up when you leave," he said as he handed the Doctor his change. "I've got these tags, and you write your names on them, and then I put the pumpkins on my cart for the next load up to the front." He held up the tags, then pointed at the cart behind him, already half-full.

"Oh, brilliant!" The Doctor bounced on his toes. "I want to carve them, but I'm afraid we're not quite dressed for it right now."

The teenager smiled. "Yeah, some folks go to the carving barn next door, but most people would rather not go around all day smelling like pumpkin."

"Definitely not," Rose agreed. She took two tags and filled them out quickly before handing them to the teen. "Thanks!" He nodded, then the Doctor whisked Rose away to the next activity.

They were wandering the market stalls after a delicious lunch of _stufaĵo_ —a thick, hearty stew—when the Doctor stopped Rose and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I've got something I need to take care of quickly," he said. He pulled out a coin purse and handed it to her. "Keep wandering, and I'll find you when I'm done."

Rose tilted her head. It was a bit odd for one person to wander off alone on their honeymoon, but he didn't seem nervous or uneasy, so she smiled and accepted his quick kiss before he darted off.

oOoOoOoOo

An hour later, the Doctor whistled to himself as he walked back to the festival. He'd managed to get everything set up, and he hadn't even hd to use the TARDIS to cheat with a reservation. He felt the corners of his mouth turn up; Rose was going to love the rest of his honeymoon plans.

He felt for her over the bond, then crossed the festival grounds in her direction. The sensation of her mind connected with his, all pink and yellow and so _Rose,_ took his breath away, and he wondered how long it would take him to become used to their new bond. He hoped he never lost the wonder he felt right now, because this… this was more than he'd ever dreamed. They were truly one now—the Doctor and Rose Tyler, forever.

He heard Rose before he saw her, a merry chuckle that sent a trickle of warmth down his spine.

"Yeah, I'll take the full set then," she told the vendor. "My husband will definitely like it."

The Doctor's smile broadened until his cheeks hurt, and he quickened his pace as he turned the corner. Rose's back was to him as she accepted a bag from a middle-aged woman, but he could tell both from the bond and her posture that she knew he was there.

Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "What will your husband like?" he murmured in her ear.

Rose turned her head slightly so she could look up at him. "That's a surprise," she told him, her eyes sparkling.

The vendor chuckled. "Newlyweds, I see."

The Doctor stepped back from Rose and took her hand instead. "First day of our honeymoon," he confirmed. "You don't mind if I steal my wife away, do you?"

"Not at all," the woman said. "Go on and enjoy this beautiful day."

"I think we will," the Doctor agreed. He tugged gently on Rose's hand, and they started walking together.

He felt Rose's thumb brush against his ring, and when he looked down at her, she shrugged. "Still getting used to the feel of a ring on your finger," she explained.

"Me too," he agreed. "I like it though."

Rose grinned at him and squeezed his hand. "Yeah, so do I." Then she raised an eyebrow, and he knew what she was about to ask. "So, where did you go?"

"If you're ready to leave for the day, I'll show you," he promised. He smiled when Rose glanced around at the bustling festival. "We're staying on Esperas for a week," he told her. "There's plenty of time to come back later."

"All right then, yeah. You've being very secretive, and I'm curious."

The Doctor led them towards the gate. "Did you have fun shopping while I was busy?" he asked, glancing at the overflowing anti-grav cart.

"I did. Oh! And I found out there's a hayride happening tonight, if you wanted to go."

"Sounds perfect," he agreed.

Rose stopped when they reached the gate, and the Doctor turned to look at her. "We need to get our pumpkins," she reminded him.

"Ah!" He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "That's taken care of. And in fact, pumpkin carving is the next thing on the schedule, after I show you what I've been up to this afternoon."

Rose blinked twice. The Doctor clearly had some kind of plan for their honeymoon—much more than just taking them to a beautiful, peaceful planet and enjoying the local culture.

"Sure," she agreed, then fell back into step with him. "I've got a question, though," she told him as he led her through a small town. "Did you move the TARDIS?"

"Oh, very good Rose!" The Doctor squeezed her hand and beamed at her. "How did you know?"

"The TARDIS felt…" Rose scrunched up her nose. "She felt different for a moment. And I can always tell what direction she's in, and right now, we're walking straight for her, even though this isn't the way we came earlier."

"Brilliant deducting. I did move the TARDIS, but since that's part of your surprise, you'll have to wait to find out more. We're almost there, though." Rose felt him look over at her. "You could tell me about what you purchased from that stand," he suggested. "She seemed to sell mostly health and beauty products."

"Nope!" Rose popped the p, imitating the Doctor's style. "If you're keeping your surprise, I'm keeping mine." She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek, easing the pout she could see coming.

"Fine," he said, stretching the word out. "I suppose that's fair."

They veered off from the main road as they reached the outskirts of the village, taking a smaller footpath. This trail was narrow enough that the trees on either side met in the middle, creating both a canopy and carpet of red and gold leaves to walk beneath and on top of. Rose stomped for a few steps, enjoying the crunch of the leaves beneath her feet and the fizzy feeling of the Doctor's happiness, bubbling over the bond.

She stopped and looked up at him. _I love you._

The Doctor's eyes crinkled up when he smiled down at her. _I love you, too_.

His emotions changed like quicksilver, moving from sentimental to mischievous almost too quickly for Rose to catch. Before she realised what he was planning, the Doctor placed his hands on her waist and lifted her up, spinning her around several times.

Rose grabbed onto his shoulders and laughed, because she was too happy not to. She tilted her head back and watched the swirl of leaves over her head and listened to his own laughter join hers.

The Doctor finally set her back down and kissed her with an exaggerated smacking sound. Then he took her hand again and pulled her down the trail.

"Come on, we're almost there!"

Rose grabbed for the cart handle as she walked by it. "Yeah, I can feel the TARDIS." She tilted her head. "And I hear water. Is there a stream nearby, Doctor?"

Instead of answering, he picked up the pace so they were running. They were practically on top of the TARDIS when he took a fork in the path and pointed proudly at a stone cottage, nestled into the woods.

"Our accommodations."

Rose blinked; she hadn't really expected them to stay outside of the TARDIS, but as soon as she saw the cottage, she was sold. The roof was thatched, and cheery mums waved at them from flower boxes under the windows.

"It's like something from a fairy tale."

The Doctor pushed open the door, then stood back so Rose could go in first, still pulling the cart along with her. "I brought a bag over and unpacked for us, and I got food," he told her while she explored. "The TARDIS is in back if there's anything we've forgotten, but I don't think there is."

Rose ran her hand over the mantel of the empty fireplace, then moved on to the bedroom. "Oh, you can see the stream from the window!" she called out. "And there's even a door leading out onto a deck."

The Doctor followed her through the bedroom, then leaned on the doorframe while she stood in the middle of the deck. "That was the main reason why I chose this cottage," he told her. "And look, our pumpkins. I thought we could carve them out here, to avoid making a mess inside."

"Mmm, you're brilliant," Rose told him. "I don't suppose you also thought to pack us clothes we won't mind getting covered in pumpkin guts?"

"Of course I did!" He turned on his heel and opened a drawer. "See?"

Five minutes later, they'd changed into jeans and long-sleeved t-shirts. Rose didn't bother to hide her appreciation of his casual wear, not even when she felt his ego getting bigger. "Maybe you should dress like this when you do TARDIS repairs," she suggested as she admired the way the thin cotton clung to his chest.

The Doctor chuckled. "Maybe… although I don't think I'd get much done if you stared at me like that the whole time."

Rose blushed and looked away, focusing on the way the dappled sunlight hit the stream until the urge to sod the pumpkins and drag the Doctor back into the bedroom was under control.

The Doctor cleared his throat and sat down on the deck beside his enormous pumpkin. "Come sit by me." He patted the spot next to him, but Rose took her pumpkin and found a place nearby where he wouldn't be able to watch her work.

"My design is a surprise," she explained when he frowned.

"We're full of surprises today, aren't we?"

Rose used her sonic screwdriver to cut a large hole in the base of the pumpkin. "Surprises are fun, sometimes," she said, and the Doctor hummed his agreement. "An' the stuff I bought earlier is more like a present than a surprise." She felt him look up at her, and she shrugged. "Well, you gave me the earrings, but I didn't give you a wedding gift."

Digging out all the seeds and pulp was just as messy as she remembered, and she huffed in annoyance when her hair fell over her shoulder and into the pumpkin. "Do you have one of my hair ties in your pocket?" she asked the Doctor, after her attempts to brush her hair back only got more pumpkin in it.

He looked up from his own squash excavation and laughed. "I do, but I thought you didn't want me to see," he teased.

"I haven't even gotten that far yet," Rose grumbled.

The Doctor wiped his hands off on a towel, then took a hair tie out of his pocket and scooted over until he was sitting behind Rose. A moment later, she felt his hands in her hair, long fingers combing out the tangles and pulling out as many chunks of pumpkin as he could.

"You'll need to take a shower when we're done," he told her as he secured the ponytail.

"Yeah, I'd figured that out." But the reminder made her smile, because it meant she'd get to give the Doctor one of his other surprises earlier than she'd expected.

With her hair safely out of the way, she went back to work. Finally, the inside was clean and she took a pencil and sketched out the image that had come to her earlier, before the Doctor had come back from renting the cottage.

As the combination of circles and swirls formed on the hard skin, she realised she'd probably picked it up from the Doctor over the bond. She glanced up at him, smiling when she saw the intense concentration on his face as he carefully moved the sonic over the surface of his pumpkin.

"So, tell me how this extra telepathy works _,_ " she requested as she switched to the icepick-like tool to score the rind.

The Doctor blinked, and she watched his eyes go out of focus, then focus on her instead of his pumpkin. She nodded in encouragement, and he smiled briefly before going back to carving. Rose copied him, continuing her work on her carving while she waited for him to explain.

"What is our bond like, to you?" he asked. "How would you describe it?"

Rose bit her lip and carefully etched along the next circular character as she considered the question. "Separate-but-one," she said finally. "Like, before our minds were in two different rooms in my head. Those two rooms had an intercom that allowed them to communicate easily, but there were doors and walls between them. And now, that wall is gone and we're in the same room. You're still you and I'm still me, but there's nothing between us."

She finished scoring her design into the pumpkin and looked up at the Doctor. "Is it different for you?" she asked, then reached for a tool that looked like a vegetable peeler. Wind rustled the leaves overhead as she waited for his answer.

He shook his head. "No, that's almost exactly what it's like for me. But I wanted to be certain, because people do experience telepathy differently. Maybe the bond is helping us see it the same way."

He sat back on his heels. "So. We're in the same room. Focus on me right now. Pay attention to more than just my presence—focus on my mind, on my thoughts."

Rose took a deep breath and turned her attention inward. The Doctor was there; he was always there. She could feel his contentment and his excitement about teaching her something new, but she didn't stop there. He was thinking something. She could feel it now.

When she got it, she rolled her eyes. "Butternut squash ravioli for dinner? Really? That's the deep thought you wanted me to pick up from you?"

He shrugged. "I'm getting hungry. Here, try again."

Rose arched an eyebrow, but he nodded encouragingly. She focused again, and this time, what she found in his mind was considerably more profound than dinner plans.

 _I love the way Rose embraces telepathy._

"You do?"

"Oh, yes," he confirmed. "Rose, I don't have words to describe what this is like for me. I told you months ago when we first bonded that the worst part of the War was being left alone in my own mind. Having you there…" He let out a gusty breath. "But I don't just love it because you fill the emptiness. It's… it's the intimacy, the fact that you trust me with everything you are."

Rose blinked back tears. "Of course I do. You're my Doctor."

"And I always will be."

They stared at each other for a long moment before the Doctor cleared his throat. "Let's get the pumpkins carved so we can clean up and make dinner, yeah?"

"I'm almost done with mine," Rose told him, picking up the peeler again and scraping out the top, hard layer of the rind. "Do you have candles?"

"Yep, in the kitchen," the Doctor told her.

Rose carefully wiped away all the remnants of pumpkin, then watched the Doctor finish his design. His mouth was hanging open slightly with his tongue sticking out, and for the first time, she understood why her smile drove him crazy.

"Finally get that, do you?" he murmured. "Though I'm pretty sure the look isn't nearly as sexy on me as it is you." He sucked in a breath and pressed his tongue against the back of his front teeth.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be so certain of that."

He chuckled, then brushed bits of pumpkin away from his design. "All right, I think we're ready." He stood and hefted his massive jack o'lantern, then carried it around the cottage to the front steps. "This way, they'll welcome us home every night when we get back."

The Doctor set his pumpkin down carefully with the design facing away from Rose. "No peeking," he ordered, then darted inside to get the candles.

Rose took one of the candles from him when he returned and carefully set her pumpkin down over the top of it—design facing the wall, like the Doctor had done. "Are you ready?" she asked him. He nodded, and they both turned their pumpkins at the same time.

Her heart clenched when she saw what he'd carved into his huge pumpkin. Clasped hands and the word run, the TARDIS, a key on a chain, a wolf howling, a Christmas tree, the full moon over a manor house, a scooter, a cliff with the word forever etched into it, the waterfall on Barcelona, and finally, their rings.

He'd carved their life together into his pumpkin.

"Rose!" he gasped, and she belatedly picked up on his shocked awe. "How did you…" He reached out and touched the Gallifreyan sentence she'd carved into her pumpkin.

"I just… saw it, in my head. Right before you came back earlier. I figure you must have been thinking it?"

The Doctor nodded. "You know what it means?" When Rose nodded, he ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't realise the bond would also translate Gallifreyan for you," he mused. "I suppose it makes sense, since I know both English and Gallifreyan."

Rose looked at their pumpkins, then up at him. "But look at this, Doctor." She pointed from one to the other. "You drew it, and I wrote it out."

There they were. The Doctor and Rose Tyler—forever.

The Doctor had to kiss her for that. Rose didn't seem to mind, and the kissing might have become something more, except he smelled pumpkin and realised she hadn't washed her hair yet.

"Why don't you go take a shower while I make dinner, love?" he suggested. It was tempting to join her, but his hunger just barely edged out his desire, though Rose's coy smile as she disappeared into the bathroom made that a tough call.

Once the door was firmly shut between them, the Doctor quickly changed back into his suit, then went into the kitchen, whistling a happy tune to himself. The ingredients for dinner were sitting on the counter, and he had the squash cooked and the pasta ready when he finally heard the bathroom door open.

A moment later, the mouth-watering aroma of bananas filled the cottage, and the Doctor spun around to gape at Rose. He barely noticed the way her red jumper clung to her curves—he was far more interested in that delectable scent. Rose's cheeky smile answered his question before it even left his lips, and with her tongue teasing him on top of everything, there was nothing to do but pull her to him and press a firm kiss to her lips.

She sighed and tilted her head, and the banana fragrance became even stronger when her hair shifted at the motion. The Doctor dropped kisses on her cheek and jaw, moving towards her hair. "Banana shampoo, Rose?" he murmured as he nuzzled into her hair.

"And body wash, and bubble bath," she confirmed. "Your wedding present."

The Doctor's tongue darted out for a taste, and he groaned when he caught a subtle hint of banana. "This is what you were buying earlier, isn't it?"

"Yep. And I think I was right—my bond mate definitely likes it."

"Oh, yes." The Doctor's lips returned to hers, and his thumbs rubbed at the soft cashmere of her jumper. _This is new too, isn't it?_

Instead of answering, Rose shifted closer to him so his hand would slip under the hem of the red jumper. Both of them shivered at the electric feeling of skin on skin, and the Doctor's hand flexed against her back when she sank her fingers into his hair and tugged.

He was debating between carrying her to bed or picking her up and putting her on the countertop when his stomach growled loudly.

Rose laughed and pushed on his chest. "Go on, finish dinner," she told him. "I'm ready to eat, too."

The Doctor sighed, but let her go and turned back to the stove. "Can you get the wine out of the fridge and pour for us, love?" he asked, his voice husky with desire. It would take him ten minutes to finish the meal, and he would need every minute of that time to bring himself back under control.

He heard Rose moving behind him as he added the ravioli to the sauce, and he wasn't surprised when he turned around and discovered that she'd set the table and lit the candles he'd set up earlier.

Rose leaned on the counter and watched the Doctor plate up their meal. Butternut squash ravioli was one of those things she'd read about occasionally in fancy food magazines, but she'd never had it before. It smelled amazing though—earthy and homey, just like autumn should smell.

"Dinner is served," the Doctor said grandly as he set the plates down on the table with a flourish.

oOoOoOoOo

Rose sighed when she finished her dinner. "That was delicious," she told the Doctor honestly. "One of the best meals I've ever had, probably."

He smiled and leaned back in his chair, wine glass in one hand and the other holding hers. "I'll have to teach you how to make pasta," he told her. "It's easy."

She started to argue with that assertion, but then she became aware of how much time has passed. "We've gotta go!" She jumped to her feet and grabbed her black leather coat from the hook by the door. "The hayride leaves in just fifteen minutes—come on!"

They barely made it, reaching the festival grounds entrance just as the driver was about to urge the horses into action. "Room for two more?" the Doctor called out, handing over the coins necessary.

"Go on then," he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "There are thermoses of mulled cider and blankets to wrap up in." He knit his brows together and pointed at the Doctor and Rose. "Just don't let me catch you canoodling back there. This is a hayride, not a roll in the hay—clear?"

Rose pressed her lips together to stifle her giggles. "Absolutely," the Doctor agreed. He jumped up onto the flatbed, then turned and pulled Rose up with him.

The other passengers waved at them as they worked their way past the piles of hay until they found a clear spot and an unclaimed blanket. "This looks good!" the Doctor declared, reclining back against the hay.

Rose smiled at him and snuggled into his side. "It's a perfect ending to the day," she murmured. The wagon lurched, and she rolled over, laying on her back staring up at the stars. She reached out for the Doctor's hand and sighed when he clasped hers tightly in his.

"Where's Earth from here?" she asked.

The Doctor pointed, and she shifted a little closer to him, telling herself it was so she could follow where his hand pointed. "Right there is the Sol system," he told her quietly. "Not much there of note right now," he added. "The old place gets cleaned up before too long, but right now, the whole system is pretty much abandoned."

Rose frowned; that wasn't really the conversation she'd wanted to have. "What about Barcelona?" she asked, trying for a planet that carried happy memories.

The Doctor hummed and moved his arm. "That's right there. We should go back there someday… maybe for our anniversary?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

The driver called out to the horses, and a moment later, they turned. "He's using horses, Doctor," Rose said. It was one more anachronism on top of a whole pile of them, and she finally had a chance to really ask the Doctor about it.

"Yep!"

"But Esperas is a space age planet—you said it's the 25th century."

The Doctor settled further into the hay and wrapped an arm around Rose, encouraging her to curl into his side. "But I also told you why humans had left Earth for the first time, remember?"

"Because of pollution."

"The first settlers of Esperas learned their lessons from their ancestors. They initiated a charter which mandated clean energy. In addition, spaceports are limited to a few cities, to keep the spread of technology more easily controlled."

"And people don't mind?" Rose rested her hand on his chest and rubbed her thumb back and forth.

"Nah. They've got teleport technology for long distance travel, plus think about all the clean technology they _can_ use."

"Like the anti-grav cart, and the refrigerator. Because everything electric in the cottage runs on solar power, doesn't it? I saw the panel on the back side of the roof."

"Exactly!" The Doctor pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, then moaned softly when he once again caught a taste of her banana shampoo.

Rose bit her lip—she would have to save the banana bath products for special days, if he liked it this much.

 _Oh, I do._ His eyes glittered in the starlight, and a single finger beneath her chin was all he needed to encourage her to tilt her head back.

His first kiss was heartbreakingly tender and chaste—just the lightest brush of his lips against hers before he caught her lower lips between his. Then his tongue flicked out, and Rose sighed against him.

The Doctor rolled onto his side and combed his fingers through her hair, humming again when that released more banana perfume into the air. Rose was ready to push herself up onto her elbow and tease him into a more passionate kiss when someone off to the left cleared their throat.

Rose pulled back, breaking the kiss with a soft pop. A red-faced woman smiled at them. "Sorry," she whispered, "but Ricard is a stickler for his no canoodling rule. Everyone tells him he's being ridiculous, but he refuses to listen."

Rose's face was hot. "Thanks," she managed to say, as she and the Doctor put a few more inches between them. The woman nodded, then turned her attention back to the friend she was with.

The Doctor sat up and encouraged Rose to sit between his legs. Then he wrapped the thick blanket around both of them, keeping the chilly wind out.

"Have I told you what Esperas means?" he murmured in her ear.

When Rose shook her head, he was close enough that she could feel his stubble against her cheek.

"Esperas means hope in Esperanto. Esperanto is a constructed language, and the bloke who made it up did so because he hoped a common language would bring people together. It's a beautiful thought, but it never quite worked on Earth."

He took a breath, then continued. "But here—remember the charter I told you about? The official language of Esperas is Esperanto. This whole planet is a statement of hope, that humans can work together, that they can be better in the future than they were in the past."

Rose leaned back against his chest and sighed. "That's lovely, Doctor."

The Doctor pressed a kiss to her temple. _It's why I wanted to bring you here on our honeymoon. Those first settlers decided on hope, and it never ends. I suppose it doesn't last forever—nothing really does—but the idea of Esperas lives on. Hope is where forever begins._

Tears blurred Rose's vision, and she brought his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to his palm. _There's no point planning for forever if you don't have hope that it'll be worth it,_ she agreed.

 _Exactly._ The Doctor pulled her closer. _And do you know what, Rose Tyler? Our forever is going to be…_

They whispered the word together. "Fantastic."


End file.
